Taking a serious look at fun

The growth of the China leisure industry

Report

People in China’s the growing middle class are working longer and harder, and so they are placing greater emphasis on leisure as well as spending more time on leisure activities (average leisure hours per day increased from 2.16 in 2012 to 2.55 in 2015). They are also willing to spend more money while unwinding from the pressures of work. Alongside this increase in demand, the government has launched various campaigns to promote recreational activities. This has resulted in dynamic growth in the leisure industry. In fact, China’s leisure market has recently surpassed that of Japan to become the second largest in the world.

Going places

Times have been particularly tough for Travel, Transport and Logistics (TTL) operators, with the profits of leading brands such as Holiday Inn, Hertz and DHL all coming under pressure from recession and structural changes to their industries